hello, hello, anybody out there
by AndiKaneUnderwood
Summary: Preston's life had been tainted by magic since he was five years old.


hello, hello, anybody out there (sometimes when I close my eyes I pretend I'm alright)

By: AndiKaneUnderwood

**The title comes from Echo by Jason Walker**

**AU: Alpha/Beta/Omega**

_Brody Romero: Alpha_

_Hayley Foster: Alpha_

_Levi Weston: Beta_

_Sarah Thompson: Beta_

_Calvin Maxwell: Omega_

_Preston Tien: Omega_

_I'm out on the edge and I'm screaming my name like a fool at the top of my lungs, sometimes when I close my eyes I pretend I'm alright, but it's never enough. Cause my echo is the only thing coming back, my shadow is the only friend that I have.  
__~Echo, Jason Walker_

Preston's life had been tainted by magic since he was five years old. Everything he loved was magical to him. His parents were the most magical of people, but sometimes their magic was stained by malicious intent. Not that they were malicious, goodness no. No, what he meant was that their good intentions often led him to misery and they didn't realize it. For example, when the company was just starting, Preston's father had given a verbal agreement that Preston would be introduced to and try a relationship with an old friend's Alpha child. The only problem was, said Alpha child would one day turn into an abusive jerk. When Preston presented almost too early at the age of ten**(1)** the Alpha child, Anthony, took the first chance he could and Marked him.

No consent was given, no speaking about it beforehand, no 'hey, I'm going to Mark you now'. Not even so much as a warning. Preston had simply been sleeping one minute, then the next woken up screaming in pain. Anthony, who was a good five years older than Preston, had lied about Preston having nightmares. Because he knew very well that Preston's father may be an absentee parent, but the wellbeing of his son was still very important to him and if someone threatened the wellbeing of his son, then all Hell was sure to break loose.

From then on, Preston had spent a lot of time on his knees. Thankfully Anthony didn't want a bedmate, rather a dependent, obedient, and _silent_ companion. Once, when he was twelve, Preston had asked his father to sever the contract with Anthony's father. He'd begged and pleaded, everything short of getting down on his knees, for his father to cut the contract. "Preston, I can't cut the contract unless you give me a good reason." Marcus had replied.

Preston had burst into tears and spent the rest of the night in his room, praying to whatever deity heard him for help. It finally came roughly three years later when Anthony decided to do some traveling.

"Preston," Anthony began, "I'm leaving town. I don't know when I'll be back and quite frankly, I don't care. I don't need a scrawny Omega trailing after me or waiting for when I get back." Preston, who was once more on his knees, startled and his eyes went wide; dare he hope? Anthony slipped his hand into Preston's hair and tightened his grip too much. "I'm dissolving the Bond, Preston."

Even as he said it, Preston felt the flare of pain and a shudder passed through him, but he was otherwise silent. Preston felt the shift and relief filled his heart. He was _free_. Anthony stood and left without another word. Preston sat down fully with his legs drawn up to his chest and cried.

_Ninja Steel~Ninja Steel~Ninja Steel_

Preston was a few months shy of turning seventeen when he met his SoulMate; a boy who came from space. Brody Romero was kind and intelligent and better in every way. Preston hadn't ever had friends in his life, Anthony had never allowed it, too afraid that Preston would become "rowdy and wild".

When high school rolled around, Preston had wanted to make friends, but he was so quiet and shy that people never really connected to him as they would to others. That wasn't to say that Preston was lonely in his high school years, he did speak with people. The chess club was always good for a match and he'd met two people who could be good friends to him once they found a good connection. Then Brody came around and Preston was introduced to a life that was amazing and cool and _magical_ and suddenly, he had not one or two friends, but _five_.

Brody had ended up being Preston's SoulMate, which he figured out about a week after they'd first become Power Rangers. You can imagine how much that newfound information terrified and confused him. But Brody had taken it in stride, waiting for Preston to be ready rather than demanding his attention. Brody was endlessly patient with the Blue Ranger, never once pushing for more than Preston was willing to give.

Even with some of the learned habits that Anthony had drilled into Preston (like kneeling 24/7), Brody slowly and steadily removed those toxic tools from Preston's mind. Brody was happy to _earn_ Preston's trust, to prove himself worthy of it (even if Preston had already freely given it), and to show Preston that s\he was never going to intentionally put him in harm's way. Preston understood few things in life when it came to relationships with Alphas, due to his absentee father and his abusive former Mate, but Brody was slowly helping him to understand that Alphas weren't meant to be abusive and awful. They were meant to be kind and strong and a support system (just as any partner was meant to be).

Preston was happy with Brody, happier than he'd been since he was seven and his mother died in a car wreck.

_Ninja Steel~Ninja Steel~Ninja Steel_

A rapid knocking at the door tore Brody from his peaceful sleep. He yawned as he sat up, moving towards the door from where he'd fallen asleep on the couch.

A feeling similar to despair (but not quite) and much like agony (but falling just short) settled in his chest, and Brody didn't know how it got there but if it had anything to do with his unexpected houseguest, but he had a feeling he'd be awake for another long while. He opened the door and gasped because standing outside drenched in water and soaked to the bone was his SoulMate, shivering in the rain.

"Preston! What are you doing here?" Brody reached out and tugged Preston inside, "Come inside before you catch a cold." Preston was perfectly silent as he was lead inside and toweled off quickly. Brody gently pulled off Preston's clothes and dressed him in a pair of Brody's grey jogging pants and a red hoodie to make sure he stayed warm. And _damn_ it if that didn't satisfy something deep within Brody to see his Mate in his clothes, but he pushed it down and focused on Preston. Preston's safety was more important than Brody's outdated instincts.

Once Preston was dressed, Brody settled a blanket around his shoulders and hesitantly stepped into the kitchen to make some of his favorite tea. As he waiting, Brody watched as Preston slowly bundled himself up in the blanket; movements sluggish and slow. It became clear to him then that someone had put Preston in Headspace. The glazed eyes and absolute silence where only the final clues. Brody's concern was ramped up several more notches, the effects of this could be catastrophic if it had been done wrong (which was kind of a 50/50 flip, Brody didn't know how it happened).

When the tea was finished, Brody placed it in a mug and carried it back to the living room, gently placing it in Preston's hands. As he watched Preston slowly wrap his shaking fingers around the mug, anger fizzled in Brody's chest, blazing quickly into a wildfire when Preston had finished the tea under Brody's careful watch and laid his head on Brody's shoulder. Brody wasn't angry with Preston, never with Preston, he was angry with whoever had made his lively Mate so quiet and subdued; almost like he'd been drugged again**(2)**.

So, he pushed the anger away in favor of cuddling his friend close. Preston was more important than the anger that burned in his stomach. Brody whispered loving things to his SoulMate, hoping to counteract whatever went wrong with this particular drop into Headspace and felt Preston slowly fall to sleep. God, he didn't want the first time he got the privilege of taking care of his Headspaced SoulMate to be like this.

Preston whined softly and Brody hushed him. "It's okay, Preston. You're okay," he murmured, running gentle fingers through his hair a few times. When Preston woke up, they'd speak about this. Until then, Brody settled in to wait until morning.

It was going to be a long night.

**(1) Sometimes, when genetics line up just right, an Alpha/Omega can present early. These kinds of Secondaries are more likely to have a supernatural quirk (like _actual_ magical abilities or pyrokinesis) and are more in touch with their Secondary side. This does not make them more stereotypical or any less of a person. Thank you!**

**(2) So, this links to a headcanon of mine that the monsters and such the Power Rangers face aren't always so G rated as they are in the shows. I personally root for them being kind of like Marvel villains (Red Skull, Thanos, Vulture), so thus all of the Ninja Steel Rangers have been kidnapped/captured/drugged/almost fatally injured at some point in the show. My stories also function more on a 'real world' level, so all of the Rangers have PTSD and the like.**


End file.
